Grandma Sunday - Letters to My Grandchildren

Mia and Jill - Happy Little Drawings

2012-01-28T09:19:00.000-05:00

I love Mia's bright pictures. She has drawn many versions of the little Blue's Clues house. If you are familiar with Blue's Clues, I think you will agree she created a pretty good likeness. The last picture was drawn by Jill, but colored in by Mia.

Lunch at the Tinkerbell Table

2012-01-22T16:53:00.002-05:00

Two divided trays. Hot dog slices and chunks of cheese in one section, apple slices in another. Ketchup and peanut butter for dipping. Plastic mugs with straws to hold the milk. This is lunch for Jill and Mia in the kid room with Nick Jr. playing on the TV. Bon Appetite!

Highlights of 2011

2011-12-31T09:36:00.000-05:00

We had lots of happy family times this year. Jaime and Aaron moved into a new house near mine. We had some sad times, too, finding out about Mia's illness. But it was a good year. This pictures above are just a small reminder. I wish for a happy, peaceful and prosperous 2012 for us all.

Happy Christmas Faces

2011-12-28T19:34:00.000-05:00

Aaron and Jaime

Jill

Jonah and Mia

Mia and Jaime

Jaime with long blonde curls

Steph and Cory

Cory and Jill

Jaime and Jill are running the light show

Bruce and Mary

Roger and Nibbles

Visit to Santa

2011-12-23T08:30:00.000-05:00

Mia and Santa

Jill and Santa

Mia, Jaime and Jill

Mia and Jaime

Mia

Cory and Jonah (who just watched)

Mia and Jill's Art Work

2011-12-20T08:58:00.003-05:00

This is the best of 3 drawings Mia did. All required lots of work to fill the whole page with bright color.

Some of Mia's recent art work. She sat down yesterday and wrote out the alphabet. The last I saw, she could do the letters, but not so neatly and not all the same size, etc. She said she learned this from her Leapster. Yea, Leapster!

These are Jill's masterpieces that she brought home at the end of school last year. I think they are wonderful!

Mrs. World and Christmas Happenings

2011-12-17T08:34:00.001-05:00

Cory and I went to the breakfast at Jill's class. Right - Jill and her teacher. Mrs. Wilson has taught Jonah and Jill so far. I told her Mia is coming!

Jonah's garden - just outside his classroom

Top pictures show the new Mrs. World, who is my friend and my neighbor's beautiful daughter-in-law. First she went and won the Mrs. America contest and now she is Mrs. World! The picture on the right is of Sylvia on her way to the pageant. April Lufriu, the new Mrs. World, is doing a great job for her charity, retinitas pigmentosa, which affects her own family. We always knew she was pretty, but now we know how special she really is. Congratulations, April!

Christmas Magic

2011-12-14T09:25:00.002-05:00

Coca Cola Santa copied from Google Images

I like the Santa of my imagination the best. I think Santa suffers from over exposure sometimes. Just give me a "Ho Ho Ho" and the sound of jingle bells in the air. A glimpse of Santa on his throne in the mall is fun, but the closer you get, the more jarring imperfections are apparent. Even the most realistic Santa is not the same as the magical elf who appears when you are sleeping, and fills the tree with magical, sparkly packages. Norman Rockwell and Coca Cola images will always define Santa for me.
As a child, the most magical time was the middle of the night when I got up for a drink of water and found the dark room transformed. Once I found a beautiful little dressing table with a frilly skirt. Another time, I swear I heard jingle bells in the air and the sounds of hoofs on the roof, but when I looked into the dark night, I saw nothing. I don't want weather forecasters telling where Santa is, or phone calls or letters from Santa.

A neighbor decorates his whole house with amazing lights every year. We walk across the dark golf course for a yearly visit with Santa. But wise little Mia told me that is not really him. She thought his voice sounded a little like her Dad. She said, "I don't know why he pretends to be HIM."

My son, Cory, was 9 when we moved for a year to Pennsylvania. He didn't believe in Santa Claus that year until he looked under the tree and there was a toy truck just like his stepfather's big rig. It had little mirrors and all the parts and pieces. He tells me he thought that Santa must be real to leave such a perfect little truck that looked as if it had been shrunk. Unfortunately, he also tells me that he later found the box in the trash. I am so sorry for that. I know my mother would never have made that mistake!

My mother and her sister were raised in a children's home in North Carolina. She says they always had a big tree and lots of presents. I don't really know about her Christmas, but I know she made Christmas truly magical for me and my brother and her grandchildren. Jaime once asked me, as Jill has recently, if I would tell her the truth if she asked me a question. I feared a question about the source of babies, but Jaime said, "Grandma is really Santa Claus, right?"

For me, anticipation is everything. That is why I have always loved Christmas Eve more than Christmas morning. After that, Christmas becomes all about the people, the old traditions, the music, the food, and finding a way to make Christmas magical for someone else. Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Happenings

2011-12-13T08:55:00.002-05:00

Mia wrapped up in a princess blanket like a little Russian doll

Jaime didn't win the sweater contest at work but she won a prize for her ornament ear ring

The beginning of Christmas

Last weekend Linda had her annual cookie decorating party. There were three generations of Linda's family and a few friends including me, Jaime, Jill and Mia. The oldest generation mostly visited and ate appetizers while Tina, Sarah and Jaime ran the show. The children had a blast jumping on the trampoline and Jill made a new friend. I'm sorry I didn't take pictures.

Earlier in the week, I went with Cory and Stephanie to see Jill's Holiday program. She looked so grown up in a little silver and black striped dress knit dress with a cute scarf tie. Stephanie took some pictures of that.

Mia has a little Christmas caroling party this week for her school and Jill's class will have a Holiday breakfast on Friday. I love Christmas!

Conversations in the Car and a Christmas List

2011-12-06T09:03:00.031-05:00

Jill to Dad:

          Jill: If I ask you a question, will you tell me the truth?

          Dad: Of course!

          Jill:: Is there really a Santa Claus?

          Dad: Do you really want to know?

         Jill: Yes

          Dad: There is no Santa Claus.

Jill: (crying) But what about the Easter Bunny?

Dad: Nope

Dad: And there is no Tooth Fairy either.

Later, to Stephanie:

Jill: If I ask you a question, will you tell me the truth?

Stephanie: Of course!

Jill: Is there really a Santa Claus, an Easter Bunny and a Tooth Fairy?

Stephanie: Of course! Where else would all those presents come from?

Jill: Yeah, that makes sense.

Mia's Christmas List (Written by Jill)

A little zee toy that sings the ABC's
A baby bumblebee pillow pet
or bees or bees lamp
Lala Lopsey silly hair
A Barney movie
Candy (shugger free)
Flat screen 3D TV
Another puppy (golden retriver)
A Winter the Dolphin movie
Disney Tangled for Leapster Explorer
Toy Story 3 for Leapster Explorer

****
Mia and Jill were talking about caterpillars when Jill told about a butterfly cage they had at school. First the caterpillars ate the leaves, then they formed a chrysalis, and then the kids actually saw a butterfly emerge. Jill said there was "paint" on the bottom of the cage from the butterfly's wings.

Mia: I think the fairies paint their wings. (Pause) I want to catch a fairy.

Jill: Once, when I lost a tooth, I saw a little light under my pillow!

Mia: I saw that, too!

I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Mia trying to wiggle one of her teeth.

Precious Christmas Memories

2011-12-01T19:29:00.002-05:00

One of Cory's first Christmas gifts, a toy barking dog - 1972

Jaime and me - 1981

Jaime, Mom and me - 1980

My favorite picture of Jaime by the tree - about 1985

Jonah - 2000

Jill - 2003

Jonah and Jill - 2003

Jonah and Jill - 2005?

Jill and Jonah - 2004?

Jill, Santa and Jonah - 2006

Jaime and Mia - 2007

Mia and Jonah - 2007

Santa and Mia - 2010

Shari and Roger - 2006

A few old pictures from Christmas past.

Preview to Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-24T07:33:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite places in the world, Riverhills Park in Temple Terrace, Florida

Mia had a Thanksgiving show at her new church preschool. She is dressed as an Indian. There was a feather in her headress, but it flopped over. The drawing on the front of her "vest" depicts what she is grateful for. Grandma!

Jaime's dining room dressed for Thanksgiving. We traded tables. The long table I have had for 25 years went to her house and a small round table moved to mine. She added a smaller table to make it longer and covered it with the Thanksgiving table cloth handed down to her from Aunt Darlene.

The chairs don't match, but I think Jaime's dining room is beautiful.

Happy Thanksgiving. I woke up extremely early and put a turkey in the oven. I am cooking here and Jaime is cooking at her house. Roger will stay home and watch football in his own chair with his own dinner, but I will also be going around the corner to help Jaime with her dinner which is scheduled at 2:00. Jill will help us with preparations. We will watch the parade, the football game (Roger is a die hard Lions fan), and have a good meal with friends and family. I wish peace and happiness to all.

Mia's Birthday 5

2011-11-13T10:16:00.003-05:00

Princess Bouncy House and Slide

Mia's 5th Birthday. Princess Bouncy House, hordes of people, sugar free cupcakes, a sparkler shaped like a "5", and loads of presents. A little girl who has had some bad luck had a great birthday party. It is easy to see why she is convinced that everyone loves her. Since she was born she has had an extended family who adores her. Later that night there was hula hooping, and a campfire. and bouncing in the dark, but Mia stayed in the house and covered the dining room floor with drawings made by her and her dad. As I was leaving, she started a new drawing and said, "And the little girl enjoyed the kite festival . . ." Happy Birthday, Mia!

My Workspace

2011-11-12T08:56:00.005-05:00

Desk top

A sign I found at an antique store in Ybor City. I like to imagine it hung on a school principal's door.

The coffee table is always full of cook books, magazines and catalogs.

One bookcase and a basket of Country Living and Country Home mags.

My reading spot. Also used for watching Project Runway and the Cooking Channel. The long brown pillow is a perfect neck prop.

Bedside table. I am trying to read "The Piano Teacher" but haven't gotten into it yet. Instead I reread old favorites like "Under the Tuscan Sun" and "A Year in Provence". I am also a Susan Isaacs fan.

For artwork I have posters I found years ago and family pictures.

My new office for my part-time job with my friend, Dr. Linda Hebert Ford at Worldview Publishing.

I was inspired by Ruth's posting at Sync-ro-ni-zing of her work spaces and her book shelves. She has wonderful books but I must be honest. I am a reader of coffee table books, shelter magazines, and cookbooks. I did recently read "The Help" and "Water for Elephants" and I loved them. My daughter-in-law, Stephanie, recommends books to me. I also have a wierd interest in true crime books such as the ones by Ann Rule. I occasionally break out old favorites such as "Gone With the Wind" and "Little Women". Right now, I am reading "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen with my grandson. My husband loves Dan Brown, Clive Cussler and James Rollins.

I used to love to read "Ladies Home Journal" and "Redbook" at my aunt Nellie's house. I never noticed for years that the dates on the magazines were very old. I still enjoyed them. Maybe my granddaughters will enjoy my magazine collection someday.

I have a new part time job with a long time friend. Years ago, as a school counselor, she and a co-worker created a social skills program called "Right Choices". She has parlayed that beginning into her own company, Worldview Publishing. I have done some editing and desktop publishing for her over the years, but now will be her part time secretary. My duties include mailing out materials, answering emails, creating a monthly newsletter using Constant Contact, and a little bookkeeping. I am excited.

"Mac-A-Lena" by Jonah

2011-11-09T10:14:00.002-05:00

Jonah's book bag is a treasure trove. I don't know when he wrote it or what the assignment was. The writing was very neat. The piece speaks for itself. I know I shouldn't laugh, but tears ran down my face as I read it. I think he is doing better now. We work on spelling and grammar every day. But this is pure, unedited Jonah.

The First day of school a kide named Mac-A-Lena, Mac-A-Lena Rubenstein walk-a-dime Hokey pokey Loca was her name! She hade a rond head and Two strays of harr one was died and the nuther one was craled up and hade a big nose that take up some space. She had Two teeth one poeting North and the uther tooth was poeting Sawth. Then she had a big long neck long as a pool with a mool in the senter of it. Then two armes a ten fengrs her belley was rond as a ball Then she has two long leges shapt as a (S) Man she was a mees. eweone made fun of her because she was funny looking no one hanged arand her.

Family History - Thanksgiving 2001

2011-11-02T09:22:00.006-04:00

Thanksgiving 2001 - Me, Jaime, Jonah, Jeremy and Cory

In anticipation of Thanksgiving, here is a picture from 2001. I thought Jonah would like to see his second Thanksgiving and a picture of him and his dad, Jeremy McGee.

Halloween 2011 - A story told in pictures

2011-11-01T03:32:00.003-04:00

This is what came barging in my door on Halloween night.

Along with this

I was screaming with fear but I knew ...

I had to help save the innocent princess they had as a hostage.

They finally left, but they still had the child.

Maybe it had to do with Mayhem visiting the other day. You may have seen him on the Allstate commercials wreaking havoc wherever he goes. (See Cory's favorite commercial on the link or at the right of this blog.)

The pictures below show happier times.

Below is a picture of the transformation of Jaime and her friend, Amanda.

I only hope that somehow everything will return to normal tomorrow.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Birthday Party for Cory and Stephanie

2011-10-22T05:28:00.030-04:00

We had a birthday party at Jaime and Aaron's house last Saturday night to celebrate Steph's 30th and Cory's 40th birthdays. We had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, carrots, pineapple upside down cake and a cinnamon haunted house cake.

I made two cakes and baked a pumpkin pie. I also made a big meatloaf. Everyone was too nice to say it was dry except my husband. Oh, Aaron did comment that ketchup made it a lot better. (??) We drank iced tea and soda.

The karaoke machine was a big hit, especially with Cory and Jill. There was a pretty campfire out back. Jonah was riding his bicycle around and around the big back yard with Brody racing around him and barking and nipping at the tires now and then. It was so cute. Good exercise for both boy and dog. Jill and Jaime did some hooping with the lighted hoop. Jill is getting good at that.

We went inside to continue the party with lots of dancing and karaoke. It has been a long time since I have had my son and daughter just hanging out together, singing, dancing and laughing. Aaron and Stephanie were having a great time, too.

Jaime got Stephanie a very funny talking card with a hunky guy on the front. It said, "I'm going to make all your dreams come true." When you opened it up, a deep, sexy voice said, "Happy Birthday, Baby ... I'm going to ... Mow Your Lawn. And then I'm going to ...Change your oil and ... Rotate your tires... " All the women thought it was very funny.

The pineapple upside down cake was good. Brody liked it, too. He put his front paws on the table when no one was looking and polished it off. Jonah complained that he didn't even get to taste it.

Mia was getting fussy and the party was still going strong, so I popped her in the car and drove around the corner to my house. I tucked her into bed in the kid room and she was asleep in two minutes. What a happy night and happy birthday party.

I heard that Amanda and Daniel stopped by later with Amanda's little pot bellied pig, Harley. Harley is a very smart little pig. He opened Mia's snack cabinet and ate a whole bag of whole wheat, baked Cheetos.

Fateful Girlfriend Meetings

2011-10-19T07:12:00.012-04:00

One day three girlfriends left work for a nice lunch at a charming little restaurant. They were full of news. One brought pictures of a recent family wedding. Another, who had gone through a painful divorce, brought pictures of her daughter's graduation and talked of how she and her ex-husband had bought their daughter a car and were spending lots of happy times together as a family. The third had the best news of all. She was leaving her job and her family home with her two children to have a beautiful wedding and move to a brand new house they were building in New Orleans. There was a bit of happy competition in that lunch. A few short weeks later, the first friend lost her son in a tragic death. The second friend discovered her ex had met someone new and was to be remarried. I've always wondered how things turned out for the third friend.

Many years ago, two friends met at the local Dairy Queen. One friend had left college to go to beauty school. She was engaged to a boy in Viet Nam but had fallen madly in love with her neighbor in a guilty summer romance while he was home from college. The other friend was madly in love, too, and was vowing to marry the boy she loved in spite of her parents' disapproval. Those friends met again online after more than 40 years and the thing they both remembered and wondered about was that last meeting at the Dairy Queen.

Three childhood friends got together a year or so ago and compared notes. One was a single mom with two little children and was about to be married to her new love, one was about to have her first baby but was not getting married. The third was in love, too, and living in her adopted country of Chile. She returned to Chile just in time for a terrible earthquake but her worried friends were finally able to find out she was OK through Facebook. Time will determine the fate of the other two friends.

It is fun to get together with friends and talk of your plans, but remember these fateful meetings. Life has a way of surprising us.

Girl with a Hoop

2011-10-18T10:15:00.001-04:00

Come on. Push the play button. I know it looks boring because I could not edit the video the way I wanted. But this video is cool. Really. Also, my new favorite song.

Slice of Life - Festive Fall

2011-10-16T08:23:00.007-04:00

2011

2010

Slice of Life is a weekly prompt to encourage writers to tell personal history stories. Click on the link to participate.

Mia's Pumpkins. The second one is from last year. I know they look like a million other children's drawings but these are Mia's. Maybe they will help her remember when she cut out the shapes and signed her name when she was only 3 and 4 years old. (Notice that the first signature is backwards with an extra little loop thrown in.)

Almost Famous

2011-10-14T11:04:00.012-04:00

It was 1980 something when Cory got a casting call from Nickelodeon.

We had enrolled him in an acting class near our home and this was his head shot. On the back was a resume. He had gone to acting camp one summer and played the part of Conrad Birdie in "Bye Bye Birdie" complete with a sequin-covered denim jacket. He was in three plays in high school, Andre in "Phantom of the Opera", Dallas in the "Outsiders" and Harry Monday in "Three Murders and It's Only Monday" where he was the star. He wore his grandfather's trench coat and a fedora. He was a big hit. Of course, I was his biggest fan.

He was an extra in a couple of industrial films and with the Joffrey ballet at the Performing Arts Center in Tampa where he wore a helmet that covered his face and held a big axe.
It wasn't on his resume, but I should also include his dance class at preschool where he and several other little boys dressed as cowboys and stole the show from all the frilly little ballerinas at the recital. (At least that is what all of the boys' mothers thought.)

It was a complete surprise when Nickelodeon called. He drove to Orlando for the audition. I believe Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Brittany Spears were still there with the Mickey Mouse Club. They were casting for a TV show. I think it was something like "Welcome, Freshmen." He went to the interview but it didn't work out. He didn't look like his head shot anymore. He had cut his hair in a short military style and decided to "muscle up". The man he talked to encouraged him to send in another head shot, but that was the end of his acting career. Some of his acting classmates did very well in the business.

He has a good singing voice and taught himself to play guitar. He has written many country songs. My favorite is "Little Girl Fly" about a divorced father sending his daughter back to her mother after a visit.

On his 30th birthday, I had a bonfire party and played Tim McGraw's CD "My Next 30 Years." He and I danced to that song 9 years later at his wedding. Today he is turning 40.

He is smart and talented and funny with a wicked sense of humor. His motto is "Don't Worry, Be Happy." He knows how to push all my buttons. But he has a generous heart and has forgiven me for all the mistakes I made as he was growing up.

He has a father, a step-father, uncles, brothers and friends but I like to think it is 5 women who know him best and love him most. His mother (me), his late grandmother, his sister, his wife, and his little girl. He is an awesome father.

Happy Birthday, Cory. We all love you even when you try our patience.
Here is a link to the story of the day he was born. http://grandmasunday.blogspot.com/2011/06/moving-day-corys-birthday.html

Fall Day at the Beach

2011-10-06T08:55:00.003-04:00

Mia and Jonah

Jill

Mia

Jaime and Aaron

A beautiful day at the beach and some family pictures. Coconut rum, lobster, steak and shrimp on the grill. What a great day! Note: These pictures were taken on October 1, 2011, on the second wedding date that had to be postponed. It was a beautiful day. Hopefully, they will have their wedding day before too long.

Mia's Snack

2011-09-22T08:25:00.003-04:00

It is a riddle. What is round, flat, and pink and tastes like pineapple? HAM!

Happy 1st Anniversary - Cory and Steph

2011-09-21T06:55:00.000-04:00

Jill at the Beach

2011-09-19T11:42:00.002-04:00

Cory and Steph are celebrating 1 year of marriage at the beach this week. Jill went with them for the weekend and now she is staying with me. I love this picture of her at the beach.

Things to Do with Children

2011-09-16T07:46:00.002-04:00

Here are some before and after pictures Stephanie took of the children on some recent expeditions.

Much of my relationship with children has to do with repetition. For one thing, I am kind of lazy and don't know a lot of children's songs and games. So we do the same ones over and over. They seem to like it.

When rocking my children to sleep, I often relied on songs I knew, even if they were not children's songs. Unfortunately, Jaime remembers Blood on the Saddle, Found a Peanut, and 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.

When Cory was little, a cute Christmas song by Roger Miller was popular. Little Toy Trains. I sang it to him even when it wasn't Christmas time. He would try to sing along. After my grandson was born, I found a CD with that song and all of my grandchildren know it by heart. They beg for me to play all the time, but I save it for Christmas now. (There is a link to this song on the right side of this Blog.)

When Jonah was little, he stayed with me every Friday night. I don't know who first showed him the very scary movie, Jurassic Park, but it was his favorite. So, every Friday night we climbed into bed with homemade chocolate milkshakes and watched the same video. We did it again for old time's sake a few months ago. The video sits on top of the DVD player in the kid room. He is the only child who took a liking to that movie, though Jill tries to watch it to be like Jonah. He and I know every word and nuance and it never fails to put both of us to sleep almost immediately.

Jill and Jonah watched Peter Pan over and over when they were both little. Such a sweet little movie. I like the part where they fly out the nursery window the best. I loved Toy Story 2 so much that we watched that over and over, too. Such clever dialogue. But it did leave Jill with a fear of toys that move on their own for a long time. She even made me hide the toy Woody in the closet for a while. She was never afraid of Buzz Lightyear, though.

When the girls get out of the bathtub, they still want to play Ridey Horsey and Little Bunny Foo Foo while wrapped in a towel on my lap. My daughter saw us last night when she was picking up Mia and said, "Are you still doing that???"

Days gone by riding in Grandma's car

We still drive around in the car and listen to the baby CD that first Jill and then Mia loved. It is little English nursery rhymes and ABC songs. I am so used to it that I have been known to forget to change it when the kids get out of the car. Lately, I have been playing the only remaining CD of a set by Time Warner called Senior Prom. It has a lot of sweet songs that I love. The girls know all the words to Born Too Late, Devil or Angel, I'm Mr. Blue, Dream, Dream, Dream, etc. I tell them how I used to play Devil or Angel over and over on my record player at home. It must have driven my parents crazy.

Jonah's daddy objected when I used to rock him to sleep with James Taylor's Sweet Baby James. He said I would give Jonah "bad taste in music" but I disagree. Am I stunting their growth or just giving them some sweet childhood memories with their grandma? I guess time will tell.

Looking back on this I notice no mention of books and reading. We do have beloved books that have been in the children's library for years. I confess that I love to read myself but I am not a patient reader to others. I feel a lot of guilt about that especially since my grandson has had a lot of trouble learning to read. I am trying to make up now for my past mistakes. I guess all those nights eating ice cream and watching Jurasic Park reruns could have been put to better use.

Jaime never liked to read though she was good at it. I think she discovered Cliff's Notes in grade school. She finally had to read in college. I don't think she reads much for pleasure even now. My son, on the other hand, had a whole shelf of Children's Classics that I never read to him. I found out later that he read them to himself and loved them.

When the grandchildren stay with me, I entertain them with art supplies. Mia especially loves art and wants all her work hung on the fridge. What if she becomes an artist because there was nothing else to do at Grandma's house?

Mia Back in School

2011-09-12T09:47:00.004-04:00

I am so glad that Mia is back in school. Of all the things she has had to deal with -- the scar from the dog bite, the seizures, the yucky medicine and not being able to eat a lot of her favorite foods -- she has only really complained to me one time.

She stayed with me for a couple of weeks after she had been diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. The school would not let her come back until the nurse agreed. There were some questions about medication, for instance. Then the school closed for a few days for their annual vacation.

Mia came up to me one day and said sadly, "I can't go to school."

I said, "Oh, yes, you can, and you will!" And the next week, she did.

I'm glad it is the same school and the same loving teacher. She is learning so much and she loves the routine. And no seizures.

(I picked up Mia one afternoon and there was Ms. Rodriguez watching a room full of playing children. She was bringing one child at a time to sit down so she could take their picture. She was very patient and careful to get a good picture while calling instructions to various children over her shoulder and stopping to help others. What a great teacher!)

Grandparents' Breakfast

2011-09-08T07:42:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow is grandparents' breakfast at Jonah and Jill's school. After last year, I have a plan. I will have them both spend the night. I think I will make spaghetti and garlic bread for supper. Then we will get up very early and get to the school by 7:00 (is that early enough?) and park in the handicapped spot right out front. Then we will wait in the car until school opens at 7:30. Then we have to visit both classrooms to say they will be attending the breakfast and then we can stand in line. Last year they had some cold scrambled eggs, sausages, sweet rolls and fruit along with milk, juice and coffee. I think I will bring my own coffee.

Last year, I waited too long to get there and had to park about 4 blocks away and then walk all over the school to collect the kids and then found out we had to visit their classrooms. My knees were killing me and I was limping badly by the time I got to the back of a very long line. It was held outside in the covered pavillion and it was steamy hot as it will probably be tomorrow.

Why do I do it? Well, it's for the kids and not for the breakfast. And it is fun to talk to the other grandparents. The school was surprised last year by the huge turnout. Wish me luck.

School

2011-09-03T11:02:00.006-04:00

I went to the school last night to learn about the curriculum. My grandson has two teachers. His home room, math and science teacher is a man. Jonah says he is the best teacher ever. He has math homework every night. They are doing graphs. I met his language and reading teacher for the first time. She seemed very nice but I am worried.

Jonah has struggled with reading. He repeated kindergarten. His teachers have been involved and caring. He has gone to summer school for reading every single summer. He has had tutors. We knew he had some learning difficulties but it took a long time to get him tested. When they finally tested him, the results were inconclusive. He didn't have dyslexia but he had a very difficult time staying on task. Finally, my daughter took him to a doctor and insisted that he take medication for ADHD. He started on a small dose of Concerta and that has helped a lot. But by then he was in fourth grade.

To make things worse, his younger cousin, Jill, is one of those children who seems to read very naturally and easily. She is in the gifted program at the same school.

I have helped in his classroom every year, come in for lunch sometimes and chaperoned many field trips. He likes that, but it was only in the middle of last year when he finally started really letting me help him with his homework. We worked on a long project on the computer and he got an A. After that, he started to cooperate. Every afternoon he came to my house and we did his homework. I was horrified. He had great ideas and a good vocabulary, but he couldn't sound out words and his spelling was almost unreadable. I think the final straw was when he kept spelling the word "make" as "mack". I admit to freaking out when I realized the depth of the problem. Even then we did start having success. His behavior was perfect and his grades improved a lot.

I made him write sentences. "I bake a cake and take it to the lake." and "I pack it in a sack and take it back." That got to be a joke with us except that I still see him do it. Just the other day, I saw it again - "mack". I also made him correct every single paper he did for spelling and grammar. He resisted a little but he did it. Sometimes his teacher gave him extra credit for that. He had a tutor at the beginning of the summer who seemed to help. I took him and stayed for the lessons. She said things like, "When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking." I was feeling hopeful, but then it came time for his annual visit with his dad in Tennessee. That trip was very important to him. He didn't get back in time to make up the tutoring. Now I'm wondering. Am I sure he knows his vowels?

His mother tries to help him but she has her hands full working all day, taking care of Jonah's little sister and making supper every night. She investigated a special school last year that seemed tailor made for Jonah but it was very expensive. There was a possibility for a scholarship, but then his grades improved and she let him stay on with his friends in the neighborhood school.

So now I met the language teacher and this is what she said.

She said they were doing a lot of independent reading. She talked about the importance of finding the right level book and the book they read at school should be the same book they read at home. I have never been able to get Jonah to finish the most simple book. Even when I read to him, he loses interest. He loves books, but he wants the encyclopedia-type books about snakes and dinosaurs, etc. The teacher said that they meet in small groups or one on one while the class reads independently. She said she doesn't want to know what happened in the book in these meetings but how the child feels about what he read. Jonah can read a page or two and have lots of feelings. She said the school library will be open next week. She talked about AR where they get points each time they finish a book and take a test on the computer. Then she said this is an FCAT testing year which is pass or fail to go to the next grade. She said they don't worry about spelling at this stage and they don't have spelling tests. They study the structure of words such as endings, etc. Spelling tests and the grade that followed seemed to be the only time he learned to spell new words.

One mother raised her hand and said her son kept spelling little words wrong. The teacher said, well, they shouldn't be making mistakes on sight words. So, Jonah is not the only one. Time was up. I didn't bother to ask any questions. I am going to write a note to the language teacher and explain why we are correcting all his papers and ask her to be supportive.

I have some flash cards for sight words and multiplication tables. They are going to grow a garden in science class and do their science projects at school. Jonah will like that. I feel like this year is our last chance.

Mom's Crazy Clock

2011-08-31T08:00:00.003-04:00

I bought this clock as a present for my mother. It chimed every quarter, half and full hour for a while. For the past twenty years, however, it only chimes two or three times a year - always at 1:00, 1:15 and 1:30 - sometimes a.m., sometimes p.m. It startles us. We've long since become accustomed to its silence.

Once when it was new we had a mishap. My ex-husband was remodeling the kitchen in my mother's condo. He did a beautiful job. He always said the free jobs he did for people caused him the most problems. He was hammering away to remove an old cabinet when the clock on the other side of the wall fell down and sliced the back of the picture tube off of my mother's beautiful console television. I found out then that a beautiful and HEAVY piece of furniture with a broken television is essentially worthless. There was nothing we could do but buy her a new television from our own tight budget. The clock was fine. Maybe that was when it stopped chiming. I can't remember. It hangs on my wall now secured by a very large and sturdy hook. Someday, I guess this inexpensive, quirky clock will belong to Jaime or Cory.

Slice of Life - Under the Sea

2011-08-23T07:32:00.008-04:00

Slice of Life is a weekly prompt to encourage writers to tell personal history stories. Click on the link to participate.

Jonah and Jill are lucky to live in Florida. These pictures are from a recent visit to the Florida Aquarium with Cory and Stephanie on their recent "staycation." They also took Jonah with them to a magical place near Ocala called Rainbow River. It is a natural springfed river where we used to go when Cory and Jaime were little. They got tubes and floated down the river with snorkels and masks. Stephanie said the kids had their faces in the water all day long. We don't get to the beach as often as we should, but Jonah loves to fish and swim at the beach on a big lake near our friend's house. He is my little nature boy.

Talent Show - Last Day at the Park

2011-08-19T20:16:00.007-04:00

Jill and her partner sang and danced to "Can't Touch This" by M C Hammer

The judges liked it!

Jill and her partner won second place.

Good bye. Last day of 2011 park summer program. After more than 30 years of talent shows, there may not be a summer program at our park next year. The after school care program has already been cancelled.

For the last few years, Jonah and Jill have gone to the park after school and in the summer. They have gone skating, swimming, bowling, played basketball and football and taken cheerleading lessons. They have had art projects, dinners, dances, Halloween parties and all sorts of other activities. Today they had a talent show. Russell, the recreation program director, has become a friend of our family. He and my son have played golf several times. He announced today that there has been a talent show at this park almost every year since the 1970's. But now the county government has decided the program is too expensive. The staff have been given their notices. A few Tampa parks will continue offering after school and summer programs, but not our park. It is a shame. I'm not sure what all these kids are going to do after school now. I know that Jill and Jonah and their parents and their grandma will never forget the friends they made here and all the fun they had here.

The Help - Childhood memories

2011-08-18T07:52:00.008-04:00

My mother didn't like this portrait of my brother and me because Mrs. Patilla fixed our hair in such an old fashioned way.

My sister-in-law and I went to see the movie The Help the other day. I loved it. I haven't read the book yet but Mary said it was great. We go to the movies together sometimes and occasionally we take my granddaughter, Jill, too, on a girls' outing to the mall. Seeing the movie brought back some of my earliest memories.

My mother was a working mom way back in the 50's. We had an older lady who came to our house to watch my brother and me. She cooked and cleaned and ironed for us as well as baby sitting. I know my mother didn't pay her very much. She was such a great help to my mom. I think it was when we lived in Russellville, Arkansas before we moved to Oklahoma when I was 7 years old.

She used to take us to her church which was across the street from our little rental house. I have a few old pictures of us when she took us to her house one time to meet her grandchildren. Her granddaughter's name was Naomi. Once she took my brother and me to a photograher appointment because my mother had to work. Mom was upset because she fixed our hair in such an old fashioned way.

I have two very clear memories of her cooking. One was a pecan pie and the other was rice pudding. She made it in the oven with a thick layer of cinnamon on top. My first experience with cinnamon. I remembering it bubbling in the oven and the aroma that filled the kitchen was amazing. I have never tasted rice pudding like that since and have never been able to duplicate the recipe. I loved you Mrs. Patilla!

Later on we had a teenage baby sitter in Oklahoma. Her name was Twila. She watched us in the summer. I don't think my mother knew that Twila's boyfriend used to come to the house sometimes. I remember bologna sandwiches or beanie weinies and Kool Aid for lunch. Twila was kind of mean. She made me watch American Bandstand every afternoon instead of cartoons. Thank you, Twila!

Cuchina

2011-08-17T07:43:00.007-04:00

Jaime dropped by the other day. She was in a hurry, but I reminded her that I had a few little chores saved up for her when she had time. She hopped up on the sink with her boots on and started hanging up a little kitchen sign for me. She asked for a level, she asked if it was in the right place, but I just eyeballed it. It turned out that hammering the little nails into my old pine cabinets was difficult. Of course, after it was hung, we saw that it was a little off center and a little lopsided. Story of my life. Jaime says she will come back and fix it. I'm thinking maybe I should leave it that way to match all the other slightly crooked items hanging on my walls. I think there is a life lesson here about planning and doing something carefully.

A friend of mine admired two new plaques I hung myself and said, "They are crooked, but they are cute." Even my smallest granddaughter admired a picture in my bedroom the other day and said, "It's crooked." Is it just me? I would never tell my friend something was crooked. Children, on the other hand, what are you going to do? Anyway, the sign is cute.

Playhouse

2011-08-12T08:18:00.014-04:00

August 2011

Playhouse and slide at Jaime's old apartment - 2009

Mia - Thanksgiving 2009

Jill and Jonah on the old swing set. I think this was about 2005.

The playhouse and swing when they were new. It turned out that this pretty corner of the yard was a haven for mosquitoes.

Jill's first sight of the second hand little playhouse that her dad brought home as a surprise.

I was struck by the morning light on the little playhouse the other day after all the dark stormy weather we have had lately. It is just a home for wasps now. We need to carry it over to Jaime's house where Mia can actually play with it. I have found that children are like puppies. They don't really like to "play" in the back yard all by themselves. It doesn't help that I no longer have a swing she can use.

Slice of Life - Turn Back Time

2011-08-08T19:02:00.007-04:00

Yep, it's me! A long time ago. I thought I was too fat even then, but doesn't seem so bad to me now. (Ha Ha)

Slice of Life is a weekly prompt to encourage writers to tell personal history stories. Click on the link to participate.

If I could turn back time - I have given a little thought to that idea. I have done more than one "searching and fearless moral inventory" of my life. I have a few regrets. I wish I had finished my education. I wish I had been more loving and less angry. I wish I had concentrated more on my life and not just my love life. I wish I would have bought Microsoft stock when it was cheap. (Ha Ha) But I've made peace with my past and I am focused on the present these days.

I do like the idea of taking a time travel vacation though. I would go back and see my mother as a child. I would relive a childhood Christmas of my own. I would hop in my 57 Chevy and head to the Sonic for lunch with my friends. I would relive a romance or two, especially a few very special kisses. I would walk on the beach again back when I could still wear a bikini. I would relive a few of my haydays at Alphatype and Florida Trend Magazine when everything was going my way at work. I would go back and hold my babies again when they were small. Then I'd like to skip ahead a few years and see how everything turns out with the grandkids. Then maybe 100 years from now, I would see if we humans are still around and take a look at the new inventions and find out if we ever discovered life on other planets. What a trip that would be!

Piano

2011-08-07T13:21:00.003-04:00

Jaime's piano is finally home. It made the trip from my garage to her living room this morning.

Jonah's Home - Boy and Dog Reunion

2011-08-07T07:51:00.009-04:00

No amount of editing can make these pictures anything but what they are - an attempt to capture the blur of boy and dog joyously renewing their friendship. Tusseling, running, jumping and racing around the house and yard. Family and friends showed up to welcome Jonah home. We had food, but he was busy riding Aaron's big bike to see his friend, Seth, setting off some firecrackers he found, hugging Mia and Brody. Mia was so convinced that he would "never come home" because the airport was "too far away." Jill and Mia had made him some "letters" for his homecoming. He tore into them with great anticipation. I thought that was so sweet until I realized he thought there might be money inside. Jonah and his mom went to a last minute music concert with Daniel and Amanda. I suspect they are both sleeping late this morning. Welcome home, Jonah! P.S. The house looked very pretty. Jaime and Aaron moved some things around to make room for the piano.

Karin's Birthday 2011

2011-08-05T07:21:00.010-04:00

Karin and Alan

Jaime and sangria. Aaron was there but I can't seem to catch them together with the camera.

A great picture of Mary and Bruce

Roger and me, blurry but smiling

Wood Fired Pizza for Karin's birthday. Another milestone in our lives. For at least the last 4 or 5 years we have gotten together to celebrate our birthdays since Karin and Alan moved nearby to be our neighbors and become part of our family. This time we went to Word Fired Pizza which turned out to be near the old Cody's restaurant where we celebrated last year. Now Cody's has a new reincarnation as an Irish Pub. I'm sure we will be back there again since Alan loves Irish Pubs. They remind him of his UK homeland. Once again, I forgot to take pictures of the food. Ever since my days working at Florida Trend Magazine, I have dreamed of being a roving food critic. Ha! Can't do that without food pictures. We got crusty wood fired pizza with sausage, pepperoni, grilled onions and mushrooms. It was yummy. Click on the restaurant name to see the menu.

Slice of Life - Games

2011-08-02T10:17:00.011-04:00

Mom and Rick playing Trivial Pursuit

Cory's Pac Man cake

Cory - 11th birthday party. That is Jaime in front of the cake.

Slice of Life is a weekly prompt to encourage writers to tell personal history stories. Click on the link to participate.

I am not a game person. I lose interest almost immediately, but my mother loved games. Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Poker, Uno - she loved them all. My brother used to come over on Sundays when my mother stayed with me. I would make a big supper and they would play Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit for hours. My grandchildren made me save the old Scrabble board because it reminded them of their grandmother. In fact, Jaime called Mrs. White her book grandma and my mother her game grandma. (I once caught my mother studying the Trivial Pursuit cards in preparation for playing with my brother who was the king of Trivial Pursuit.) I also included pictures of Cory's 11th birthday in 1982 because he had a Pac Man cake. It's kind of interesting to me to look at Cory's 11th and then at Jonah's 11th just a few posts back. Life goes on and the cycles repeat.

Brave Girls

2011-07-31T09:46:00.008-04:00

Two brave girls, my daughter and my granddaughter. Mia's drawings are always so happy. She drew several of herself and her mother the other day. Dressed in look-alike outfits and looking like two teenage friends in one drawing. The captions say 'Mia Loves Mom' and 'Mom sevoL aiM' but the mean the same thing.

When Mia started having seizures again, her mother stayed by her side, as she has in the past, for every moment. Even when Mia was hooked up to a machine and could only walk a little bit around the hospital room for several days and got so frustrated, Jaime kept her occupied.

Now Mia is home and the seizures are under control, but there have been difficulties with the doctor, the day care and the pharmacy. Jaime has researched Mia's diet, tried to decipher her MRI and been her advocate in every way possible. Aaron and I and all of Jaime's family and friends have tried to help, but when it comes right down to it, Jaime does what she has to do. She is a great mom.

Jaime is committed to trying the Keto diet which is helpful in controlling seizures. I eliminated the ice cream, cookies and ice pops from my house. We started trying to figure out what Mia could eat. I pretended I was just out of ice cream, but one day she said, "I can't have any sugar" and she asked me, "If I have another (special) cookie, will I get the shakes?" I can't even stick to a diet long enough to lose 5 pounds but this little girl is following the rules and taking the nasty medicine twice a day mostly without complaint.

Jaime called me the other day to borrow a potato masher. I said, "Are you making mashed potatoes? Mia can't have that." I brought the masher to her house and she started busily mashing cauliflower to look like mashed potatoes. I liked them, but my daughter has never liked vegetables besides potatoes, green beans and an occasional roasted carrot. The whole family ate cauliflower that night. Jaime said she had to put meat and gravy with every bite, but Mia ate it. She didn't have as much luck with cauliflower "mac and cheese." Mia said she wante Kraft. I love my brave girls.

Slice of Life - Neighbors

2011-07-26T07:06:00.003-04:00

Carol and Amy at my dining table

Amy, Carol and me back in the day

Slice of Life is a weekly prompt to encourage writers to tell personal history stories. Click on the link to participate.

I have been blessed with great neighbors. I still have many friends who started out as neighbors. Sylvia has lived down the street for the past 20 years. She has a great joy in life and is an inspiration to me. She has faced loss and pain and she can't see well enough to drive any more but she works in her yard, cooks great Spanish food, makes jewelry and goes dancing every week. She has two grandchildren who are the same age as two of mine. Her daughter-in-law was recently crowned Mrs. Florida.

I met Mary when she lived on the next block in my old neighborhood. Our sons were the same age. She has been a true friend for more than 25 years. (Hard to believe!) Our lives have paralleled each other's in many ways and my house is full of gifts and garage sale purchases from her house to mine.

Back in 1980 Pat and Mary Beth lived a few apartments down from my husband and me during the year we spent in Pennsylvania. I was lonely and pregnant and my husband was out driving a truck across the country. I was so glad to see another pregnant lady one day. Mary Beth and I drank hot tea and watched soap operas together in the afternoon until my baby (Jaime) came early and then she was a great support to me, baby sitting the new baby when I needed a break. Her husband, Pat, became friends with my husband as well. I have lost track of them over the years, but I will never forget them.

Back in the 70's when my son was small and I lived in Arkansas, Carol was my neighbor, friend and co-worker. She had a little girl who was my son's age. She wasn't just a friend but was my family while I was far away from my own family. We will always be the best of friends. I believe the first charge she ever put on her first credit card was to come and visit me in Florida after I had moved away.

Back in the '60's I fell in love with the handsome boy next door.

Now my newest neighbor is my daughter, Jaime. They live a few blocks away. They are close enough to walk by in the evenings with the dog and Mia in a stroller. My grandson can and does ride his bike over almost every day. Dishes, tools, food and children move often from her house to mine. Thank God for good neighbors!

Summer Visits to the Farm - Crescent, OK

2011-07-24T10:24:00.014-04:00

The old barn on our last visit about 1995.

The kitchen where my aunt tossed the egg shells into the sink behind her. The Hoosier cabinet is at the end of the room.

Uncle Glen, Rick, Aunt Esther, me and Jean, my father.

Me, my mother, Mary, Rick and Rusty the red cocker spaniel. This picture dated Aug. 1956

My father's grave

My grandparents' grave

I wrote the entry below for Magpie Tales -- a creative writing blog. Check it out here. I copied it from my other blog Simple Sunday Supper, but I have more to add below.

A few special summers at aunt Esther's Oklahoma farm. Real butter and cream for breakfast. The crowing of the rooster at daybreak. Waking in the little white bedroom up the steep stairs and looking down into the yard from the old wood-framed windows. A green Hoosier cabinet in the kitchen. A bathroom that used to be a porch. An unused formal parlor with carpet, a wood-trimmed velvet sofa and an old piano. A rose garden. Learning to sew. Searching through the hay bales in the old barn for eggs and trying to catch the wild kittens. My aunt cracking fresh eggs at the stove and tossing the shells over her shoulder into the sink. Eating fried chicken that had just been walking around a little while ago. Feeding a calf from a bucket with a large rubber nipple. Riding on a tractor. The sweet smell of cutting into a ripe, red watermelon right out of the field. Oh, and getting trapped in an outhouse by a mean rooster. (There was a ripe smell in that outhouse, too!) A few old photographs and some family stories. Some old phonograph records. I was a modern girl from the 60's. These are the only fragile connections I have to a simpler life style that is older than time. I treasure them now.

I wrote this about my summer visits to my aunt's farm, but the pictures above are from my last visit. My aunt no longer lived at the farm. We just drove out to look at it. The weeds had grown and the old barn was about to fall down. She asked my husband to check an oil well on her property. It had some kind of meter on it and she worried for years that they had been cheating her. He looked at it and said it looked all right to him. That seemed to satisfy her. I told her I admired the Hoosier cabinet in the kitchen with its built-in sifter. We went to visit my father's and my grandparents' grave at a little graveyard nearby. That was the last time I ever saw the farm. My aunt wrote me and told me that shortly after we visited, someone broke into the house and trashed everything and stole the Hoosier cabinet. My uncle Glen had died many years earlier in a farming accident. Aunt Esther is gone now, too.

Slice of Life - Grand Theft

2011-07-22T10:19:00.022-04:00

Slice of Life is a weekly prompt to encourage writers to tell personal history stories. Click on the link to participate.

I wish I had a picture of Jaime's van. It was an old Voyager with faded blue paint but the air conditioning worked and it held all of Jaime's family and friends. Her father had helped her get it when the previous car died. She moved her CD/MP3 player into it from her old car and down the road it would go with the music playing, the baby seat in the back, full of groceries, kids and beach or camping gear. Everyone loved that old van. So you can imagine how she felt when she got up one morning and it was missing from the space right in front of her door. It was so ugly, she thought it was theft-proof.

Of course, the police came and took a report but there was no word. They found a stolen van with a baby seat in it but, unbelievably, it was a different van. (Come on, people! Who would steal an old van with a baby seat -- much less two?) Anyway, she didn't have replacement insurance so she made do with a borrowed car which was much smaller.

It was a year later when they called her and said the van had been found abandoned in Orlando. At first she was excited, but then she found out that it wasn't drivable and it had $300.00 of accrued storage fees. We appealed to her Dad for help and considered having the car towed, but he said to let it go. We didn't know what kind of shape it was in. It was like being robbed twice!

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex

2011-07-21T08:41:00.002-04:00

Out little girl, not quite 5 years old, has been diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. Here is a definition from the TSC Alliance website: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to form in many different organs, primarily in the brain, eyes, heart, kidney, skin and lungs.

Mia has some benign growths in her brain that cause her to have seizures. The seizures are under control for the moment, but the future is very uncertain. We have discoverd that a ketogenic diet has been proven to be effective in controlling seizures so we are working hard to change our habits.

A ketogenic diet is based on an extremely low carbohydrate, high fat diet (think Atkins with more fat and less protein). We are learning. Our first step is to eliminate processed sugar and grains from Mia's diet as much as possible and to up the fat content. Bacon and eggs and a piece of fruit for breakfast and tuna salad and tomato for lunch are examples from menus I have seen. Mia's mom has never liked vegetables, but we are trying. It is a hard diet to follow and needs medical oversight but it can have amazing success in controlling seizures that are hard to control in any other way. BTW, I am not an expert on any ot this. Still in shock, actually. So if I have said anything incorrectly, please excuse me.

Bowling Party

2011-07-18T09:41:00.015-04:00

Stephanie made a bowling ball cake.

Stephanie and her mom, Debbie

Allie and Steph

Jill's grandpa and her mom, Courtney

Hunter

Jaime and Aaron

Mia had fun and she got a strike!

Jill opening presents

Kids eating cake

Jill's new aquarium

Jill's bowling party was a great success. Stephanie made a great bowling ball cake. It was layered with chocolate cake and confetti cake. Stephanie bought a special pan to make the cake. I see a lot of soccer, basket and baseball cakes in our future. Jill squealed with delight at her presents and all her friends and family came. Mia was able to bowl with a special ramp they set up for her. She got a strike! Even Roger had a good time. All the other pictures are on Stephanie's camera because I forgot mine. BTW, after Stephanie went to all that trouble to make the cake Jill described, Jill said, "You could have just drawn the bowling ball with icing!"

Jill's Birthday at the Park - 8

2011-07-16T07:33:00.006-04:00

I made 72 cupcakes to take to the park on Friday to celebrate Jill's upcoming birthday. They were already having a little "neon party" which included dancing around with a lot of glow-in-the-dark stuff. Jill had fun and everyone liked the cupcakes.

All About Jillian

2011-07-12T10:11:00.022-04:00

Jill's 1st Birthday

Jill - 2 years old

Kittens
Dance class tutu.
Jill and Dora blanket
Cory and Jill

5th Birthday with Grandma
5th Birthday with Daddy and Stephanie. Jason is in the back.
Jill, 5, and her mother
Jill, 4th birthday, making cupcakes for her party at the water park
Jill and friends from dance class at her 4th birthday party
Which pictures to choose? I have so many pictures of Jill I am trying to highlight some cute ones that I haven't posted before. Her 8th birthday party is coming up. She has been my little friend and companion ever since she was born. She has always seemed older than her years. Happy Birthday, Jillian. I will always love you. I will also do a post of Jill's art work soon. I am always showing Mia's drawings but Jill has many good ones, too.
I need to tell a Jill story. When she first started to walk, we had a litter of kittens. She loved those kittens and she wanted to carry them around. We had to keep saying, "Not by the neck! Not by the neck!" Reminds me of when Jaime was little and we had some kittens. She would call them so sweetly to come to her and they would run like hell in all directions.
Another Jill story. Her first words or close to it. She was looking at a book out on the porch and my friend said, "Did she say 'Duck'?" We both looked at the baby. There was indeed a picture of a duck on the page. "I don't think so," I said. Then she turned the page and said, "Quack, Quack".

Jill was only 3 when we were at Jaime's baby shower for Mia but she was starting to read. She was also very good at recognizing logos. As she helped Jaime unwrap a present, she looked at the big box and said, "Oh, it's from Walmart!" Smart girl.

Slice of Life - Naughty, Naughty

2011-07-11T20:30:00.000-04:00

Mom at the new house - not the one with the ditch. The 57 Chevy is in the background.

This is a Slice of Life post. Slice of Life is a weekly prompt to encourage writers to tell personal history stories. Click on the link to participate.

I am responding to an old prompt from Slice of Life for this post. It is called Naughty, Naughty for something we did when we were young. I usually followed the rules. I was too timid to be really adventurous. Maybe I would change that a little if I could go back with the knowledge I have now. Then I would know which rules to break.
***
Anyway, my father died when I was 15 and that meant no one in the family could drive a car. My mom never did get her license, my brother was a year younger, and I was waiting to turn 16 and still in Driver's Ed at school. It was very inconvenient. My brother and I walked to school. My mom took a bus to work in Oklahoma City and sometimes she sent a cab to the nearby Dairy Queen for fried chicken baskets for dinner. (There was no KFC back then.)
***
My uncle had helped us get a car which was waiting in the driveway for the big day -- a blue and white 1957 Chevy.
***
Now for the naughty part. One summer day, I decided to take the car and visit a friend of mine who only lived a few blocks away. I sat behind the steering wheel and practiced turning right and left on my practice trip. That part was not hard but I had to back out of the driveway and get out on the street which was bordered by a deep ditch.
***
Slowly, carefully I began. I wasn't very good at backing up. I tried again and again and again. I don't remember more about the driving. I only know that when my mom got home that afternoon, the whole right side of that '57 Chevy was down in the ditch in front of our house.
***
My mom was pretty cool. She only looked at me and said, "Shari? Did you drive the car today?" I don't know how we ever got it out of that ditch.
***
Now, if this blog survives and some day one of you grandchildren is a new driver, please don't get any ideas. I am worried already and you are only 11, 7 and 4. Jonah, I'm thinking of you right now. Someday I will tell you the story of the day Uncle Cory and Jeff Watkins stole Pepaw's truck and got caught joy riding past the house when he came home unexpectedly. I think I have put enough naughty ideas into your head for today.
***
P.S. I have recently been in touch with some of my old friends from high school. If you guys see this post, I'm thinking of you.

Slice of Life - Life is Good

2011-07-11T11:53:00.006-04:00

This is a Slice of Life post. Slice of Life is a weekly prompt to encourage writers to tell personal history stories. Click on the link to participate.

Life is good when a sick child is better. Mia just spent several scary days in the hospital with Jaime by her side every minute. She was having seizures that were very difficult to control. We have learned more than we ever wanted to know about her condition and are cautiously optimistic that she seems better with her medication. She spent the night with her grandma and spent the morning doing art work. She wanted to draw Aaron with a mustache but she got very frustrated so I printed out a close up and she added the mustache. She also did a drawing of Aaron and a Play Doh sculpture of him. Notice the fingers in both works. Your prayers would be appreciated.

Fourth of July, 2011

2011-07-04T15:38:00.012-04:00

We had a wonderful July 4 weekend. On Sunday, we had dinner with Rick and Darlene at their new apartment. Rick cooked on the grill and we enjoyed their beautiful view. On Monday we went to a water ski show and barbeque at the beach near our friend's house. In the evening, Jaime and Aaron had a cookout for family and friends. There were four dogs, a pot bellied pig, 2 babies and Mia. Jonah is visiting his Dad in Tennessee. It seemed strange for him to not be there. After we got home, Roger and I pulled lawn chairs into the front yard and watched the fireworks over the golf course. A thoughful neighbor aimed some beautiful fireworks just in the right place over the trees. Then we watched the Boston Pops fireworks on the TV in our bedroom. What a great day! I am so grateful for all the blessings in my life.

Mia and Her Teachers

2011-06-29T17:45:00.002-04:00

Mia finished her first year of preschool at Head Start. Here she is with her teachers. On her first day I asked if she had any friends. She said, "I have a friend and his name is Ms. Rodriguez!"

More of Mia's Drawings

2011-06-29T09:36:00.003-04:00

Mia keeps churning out pictures and hanging them on the fridge and she brings piles of them home from day care. I try to edit, but I have a hard time leaving any of them out.

Mia self portrait. She even signed it.Jill and Mia on a rainy day. Notice they are holding hands. There is a flower and a balloon and they both have jewelry. Jill on her ankle and Mia on her wrist.

Congatulations Aaron!!! EMT License

2011-06-27T11:26:00.002-04:00

Aaron has received his EMT Certificate and degree from HCC. He starts fire school in August so that he can become a paramedic. Already I am amazed at how much medical knowledge his has. That, along with his good common sense and cool head, make him a very good person to have around in an emergency. Congratulations, Aaron!

Slice of Life - Chocolate

2011-06-27T10:37:00.009-04:00

This is a Slice of Life post. Slice of Life is a weekly prompt to encourage writers to tell personal history stories. Click on the link to participate.

You can have your truffles and your Dove bars and all your fancy chocolate. My favorite is good old Hershey's cocoa. Now it has even been discovered that dark cocoa is actually good for you. Low in fat and high in antioxidents. Of course, you have to add a lot of sugar to make it taste good.

When I think of Christmas, I think of the whole house smelling of warm chocolate and of sweet chocolaty candy full of pecans, kind of hard instead of "fudgy". My mother would cook it to the soft ball stage and then she would add vanilla and butter and beat it until her arm was sore.

I recently tried my hand at homemade chocolate pie from an old family recipe. It didn't look like the picture above but it was good. Homemade crust, homemade chocolate custard and homemade "egg icing" (meringue) - all listed as difficult in my personal cooking catalog. The homemade chocolate pudding may be a lot of trouble but it tastes entirely different from the instant pudding you can buy at the store. In fact, take a can of Hershey's cocoa and make yourself a cup of hot chocolate. If you haven't tried it in a while, it will wake up your senses.

I also love to make chocolate bundt cake with Hershey's cocoa. It is so moist it doesn't need icing. I just add a little sprinkle of powdered sugar on top. From Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) I learned to add a little instant coffee for added flavor.

Click on this link for the official Hershey's site for lots of great recipes.

Slice of Life - Moving Day (Cory's Birthday)

2011-06-20T07:54:00.025-04:00

Cory and Me. He is 5 months old.

Two grandmas, Mary and Goldia. 1971

Grandma Collier and Cory

Me and Leanis, wedding, Feb. 5, 1970

This is a Slice of Life post. Slice of Life is a weekly prompt to encourage writers to tell personal history stories. Click on the link to participate.
In the fall of 1971 I was busy packing our one-bedroom apartment to move. My husband was transferring to a railroad job in his hometown in Missouri. I met Leanis in Florida while he was in the Air Force Base but that is another story. Anyway, when he got out of the Air Force, my mother and Aunt Nellie and I drove to Arkansas where he had a railroad job waiting for him so we could be married.
We lived in Arkansas for a year before my husband was able to transfer to his hometown in Missouri. I was a little worried about moving since I was 8 1/2 months pregnant, but we were going anyway. I spent the day filling boxes and I sorted out all the laundry in piles in the bedroom so we could go to the laundromat when he got paid the next day. We packed until late in the night when we decided to take a break and watch a little TV. I made a late dinner of fried potatoes and onions.
I was a little uncomfortable. I had been having occasional cramps off and on for days. I told my husband I was going to call the doctor the next day and ask for a laxative. That was when my water broke. My husband was in a panic but I was calm. I had heard stories about how long it took first babies to be born. I looked through my closet for something to wear to the hospital while Leanis begged me to hurry. On the way down the steps the first strong contraction hit and I wondered if I had waited too long.
The car ride was stressful. I was shaking like a leaf. We raced to the hospital and I was rolling down the hall in a wheelchair before I knew it. I looked at the big clock. It was 12:40 a.m.They led me to a cold little room with a stainless steel table and had me change to a hospital gown. I was shaking uncontrollably and the contractions were really hurting. I began to get scared. I got on the cold table and a nurse came in. I heard her say, "She's 10" which I now know means I was fully dilated and ready to give birth. I had high blood pressure and it was 1971 so the nurse asked me if I was ready to go to sleep. I drifted off in the middle of a painful contraction.

I woke slowly the next morning in a sunny hospital room. I was confused. We didn't have any money but (thank God) we did have good railroad medical insurance. I had not packed a bag. I didn't know where my husband was and I didn't know anyone else very well. My mother was in Florida and had no idea what had happened.

A nurse came in and there was Cory looking kind of wrinkled and red. I had no idea what to do since I had never been around babies. They handed him to me and he gave me a startled look. I felt a wave of love and kinship. Neither of us knew what to do but we would figure it out together. My husband came in with a suitcase and told me he had called my mother.

So, that was the moving day that turned into Cory's birthday. I was really surprised when I looked at the hospital bracelet on his wrist. Cory was born at 1:20 a.m. only 40 minutes from the time I arrived at the hospital. I'm glad there wasn't a train blocking the way to the hospital in that little railroad town.

Jaime's Owl

2011-06-18T16:40:00.004-04:00

The grandkids are not the only ones with artistic ability. Here is one of Jaime's paintings - Owl. The scanner size forced me to crop the feet and wings a bit.

Mia's Drawings

2011-06-15T10:50:00.004-04:00

Project from preschool

3 Flowers, 6-14-2011

Flowers

Earth and Rainbow

Mia's drawings make me happy. She likes them, too. She "posts" them on the refrigerator with her little magnetic letters as soon as they are done. I should say she posts them at her eye level, too, so I have to be careful to not brush them on the floor as I walk by.

Best Birthday Ever

2011-06-12T08:11:00.008-04:00

Brody - Boy's new best friend

Birthday cake. The tent had a little light in it and the shadow of a boy.

Jonah and Brody

The kids stopped a wild sword fight long enough let me take one picture

Mia

Mia, Cory, Jill

Joyce and Peepaw

Music in the living room

Such a cute picture. I'm sorry the photographer messed up the focus.

Irma and Brody. Pappa Jerry in the background.

Future bride and bridesmaid Jaime and Amanda.

Gage

Cory, Elliot and Jonah. Toy gun.

Jonah and Seth

Jill and cake

Best birthday ever. A good report card from school, a new puppy and a camp out with all his friends. Happy Birthday, Jonah!

Jonah Birthday

2011-06-08T11:09:00.011-04:00

Jonah - 8th Birthday

Dirt Cake with Gummy Worms

Jonah - 1st Birthday

Jonah - Preschool

Another preschool picture

Jonah sleeping in grandma's arms

Happy Baby

It's time for Jonah's 11th birthday party. He wants to invite girls this year. It will be a back yard camping party. Girls will be there but not overnight. I'm sure it will be great but meanwhile I am remembering the past. My first grandchild and only grandson. Happy Birthday!

***

Once when he was about two years old, Jonah met me at the door with a very sad face. I asked him what was wrong and he said, "I trouble."

***

One time when Jonah was picking "atapidders" (catepillars) off the neighbor's bush, I saw a big red ant bite on his face. I said, "Jonah, how did you get an ant bite on your face?" He said, "Grandma, ants have sticky feet!"

***

He was just learning to talk when I tucked him into bed one night. He said, "Bugs bite toes!" I laughed and kissed him and went into the living room and told everyone what a great imagination he had. The next day my daughter said, "Mom, you are going to feel so bad!" It seems there were some ants in his bed and he used almost every word in his vocabulary to try to tell me about it.

***

He was teaching himself to fish in the nearby pond. I went out to see how he was doing and noticed that he had a bobber hooked up right at the top of his fishing pole. I said, "Jonah, it won't work that way. You won't be able to catch any fish that way." He looked at me and said, "Grandma, these fish are stupid!" And I guess they were stupid because he caught one a few minutes later.

Roger and Me - Our 5th Anniversary

2011-06-04T10:27:00.007-04:00

Roger and me

Roger

Left to Right: Darlene, Mary, Bruce and Rick

Darlene and Rick

Jonah and friend at end of school skating party

Jillian at end of school skating party

Mia and Jaime in little Barbie jeep

Mia and Jaime in Barbie jeep

June 3, 2011 - Our 5-year anniversary. Hard to believe. The kids were having end of school parties, Jaime and Aaron were working on their roof, and Roger and I celebrated by going to Ivarone's - a landmark Tampa restaurant owned by a landmark Tampa family. Click on the restaurant name to see the menu. Roger and I had steak and their fantastic house salad and cannoli's for desert. Bruce, Mary, Rick and Darlene went with us.

Mia! by Jillian

2011-06-04T07:10:00.003-04:00

A cute picture of Mia drawn by Jillian. Mia decided to sign it on the right side, but she got her letters mixed up and signed, "ami".

Mia

I have been thinking of getting a larger dresser for the kid room and even searched on Craigslist, but this one showed up on the curb by my neighbor's house. My son helped me get it home and we adopted it. I plan on painting it. A little matching bed side table showed up the next day but I didn't get it. Now I'm sorry. Someone else gave that one a home. We are enjoying the mirror and the extra drawer space.

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T12:27:00.003-04:00

A good quality hot dog on a soft, cheap bun with a little mustard and relish. That is my favorite. This one has ketchup and pickles on the side for my granddaughter. Maybe next year I will go to the folk festival with my family, but this year I am babysitting at home and pretending my hot dog was cooked over a camp fire.

Maybe later I will dig out some pictures of my father to post. He was a Navy medic in WWII and served with the Marines at Tarawa. He didn't talk about it much. I need to spend time with my brother and compare notes. My brother served in the Army during the Vietnam years, but he was stationed in Germany, not in a fighting zone. My brother found our grandfather's tombstone at a military cemetery in Johnson City, Tennessee. He was a veteran of the Spanish American War. His name was Robert Zell and his brother's grave is in the same cemetery. Jaime's fiance, Aaron, served in Iraq. Thank God, he is here with us now. I am thinking of all the strong, young soldiers who have served our country today.

End of School Party

2011-05-26T09:53:00.004-04:00

Mia - Preschool - 2010

Jonah - 4th Grade - 2010

Jill - Second Grade - 2010

There was an end of school party the other day with music, hula hoop contests, pizza and cold drinks, two bouncy houses and Dippin Dots ice cream. Jaime and I took Jonah, Seth, Jill and Mia and we participated in everything except the Dippin Dots which were $3.00 and $5.00 each. Luckily the pizza slices and drinks were only $1.00 each. Jill did very well at the hooping contest. Jaime hooped a little, too. Jonah played football in the field with his friends. It was hot, but fun. I don't remember doing anything like this when I was in elementary school.

Then yesterday as I was sitting on the front porch 4 children biked by and made a circle in my front yard. "Hi, Grandma!" Jonah called as they rode away. These moments make me happy.

Jonah's Bear

2011-05-24T12:47:00.003-04:00

Found this in Jonah's book bag and thought it was great.

Mother on Mother's Day

2011-05-07T11:23:00.010-04:00

July 1, 1948. The date is on the back of the photo. I didn't even know they had color film back then. (I am the baby in the picture.)

Grandma and Jaime

Mom at work posing with what looks like an empty file folder.

Mom relaxing. She loved to fish.

Jaime, Mom and me at Christmas. 1980

Me and my mom and dad about 1957.

Mom in a great coat. I think she was still single. Don't know what year this was. Maybe 1938?

Mom and Dad. Don't know the make or model of this car.

Rick, Uncle Glen, Mom, Dad and me at my Aunt Esther's farm house.

This blog is linked to Sepia Saturday - a blog featuring great old photographs. Click on the link to see more.

My mother. I'm remembering her on Mother's Day. I have written before about her childhood at the Grandfather Children's Home in North Carolina. She was slim and pretty all her life. She never learned to drive but could walk for miles in high heels. She was a professional woman and an excellent cook. She loved movies and movie stars and taught me to appreciate movies from her era, Hitchcock such as "Rear Window" with Jimmie Stewart and Grace Kelly, "Gone with the Wind", "Rebecca" -- all the old classics remind me of her. She liked Gayle Storm and Nat King Cole. Her favorite hymn was "Old Rugged Cross." She loved to play Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit and taught us all how to play poker. She made sure we had great birthday parties and Christmas presents. Her grandchildren adored her and still do. I need to find a good picture of her and Cory because he loved his grandma so much and she loved him. She died only a few months before her first great-grandchild was born, but she "saw" a sonogram of him even though she had cataracs and suggested the name "Jonah" before she left us. She was close to all of our friends when we were young, including Darlene, who became my brother's wife after my mother was gone. My brother waited till late in life to marry. I just wanted to call my mom so bad and say, "Guess What?????" But I'm sure she knows. I can't say I exactly miss her because she feels like such a part of me and of my daughter, Jaime. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Neighborhood Pizza Beach Party

2011-05-07T07:21:00.000-04:00

Alan and Karin

Amanda and Daniel

Aaron and Mia

Jaime, Amanda and Daniel

Elliot (wearing Mia's hat)

Our friends' neighborhood beach party with free pizza and music! We had a great time. No pictures of Jonah. He and Seth spent their time hanging out on the dock (and jumping off into the water). Some people said they were flirting with some girls, but that is probably just a rumor.

Picnic and Fishing at the Park

2011-05-07T07:06:00.000-04:00

New camera and lots of fun activites. Picture Overload! Can't help myself.

A Happy Birthday for Me

2011-05-02T18:09:00.012-04:00

Thai Buddhist Temple - Wat Mongkolratanaram

Amanda, Jill, Jaime and Mia

One of the beautiful bird lanterns that surround the temple

A dock on the river with lots of hungry fish in the water

Roger and me

Jaime

Rick and Darlene

Aaron

Jaime, Mia and Jonah

Aaron, Irma, Elliot and Mark. It was a special day for Irma, too.

Cory, Steph and Jill

A birthday dinner at a Mexican restaurant with friends and family. Karin and Alan were there, too. Another friend was missed. I had a pedicure with Jaime and Mia got a manicure. I also got to go to the nearby Buddhist Temple and sample the Chai tea and the Thai food. Roger and I went out to my brother's house for a steak dinner and a look at their new place. Stephanie, Cory and Jill went to a lot of trouble to upgrade my Christmas camera. Now there is still lunch with a friend tomorrow. I am a lucky woman who has more riches that I deserve. But I am very grateful and happy (and a year older).

Explanation: All that eating! These activities took place over a weekend -- not in a single day. Just wanted to clarify that.

Weddings, Hats and History

2011-04-30T09:32:00.006-04:00

My Uncle Joe and Aunt Marjory Vitale My Grandmother, Julia Marshall. She doesn't have a hat in this picture.

Somehow I have a copy of my aunt Margie and Uncle Joe's wedding photo. It was during the war years so she wore a suit for her wedding. I always thought I resembled my father's side of the family (not entirely in a good way). And I always thought Aunt Margie somewhat resembled Queen Elizabeth. Perhaps the wrong side of the blanket somewhere back in the family's history??? Anyway, the hats at the Royal Wedding yesterday made me think of this photo. My Aunt Margie met and married an Italian man and converted from Jehova's Witness to the Catholic religion.

This brings up questions in my mind since I never saw or even thought to ask about a picture of my parents' wedding. My mother lost a whole trunk of photos when I was a teenager. A rather wild kitten that I brought home from my Aunt Esther's farm decided to pee all over the garage including the trunk. I wonder what was in there? My mother turned out to be very mysterious person even though I always thought of her as open and friendly. My father never even knew that she and her sister lost their mother as young children and were raised in a children's home in North Carolina.

As far as my father's family, there were eight living children in an Oklahoma farm family. But I have heard that my great grandmother was a stiff English woman whom my grandmother did not like very much. I have a little glass dish that my Aunt Esther said came from my great grandfather's glass factory in England. She said they lost a child on the ship to America, but the little glass dish survived. I have seen only a few photos of my grandmother in her later years. Her short, dark hair needed washing and she wore heavy black glasses. In one picture she wore a pillbox hat. When I commented on the picture, my Aunt Esther related that my grandmother always said nobody noticed what you were wearing as long as you had a new hat.
(This post was copied from my other blog Simple Sunday Supper)

Jonah - Nature Photographer - Zoo Trip

2011-04-28T10:07:00.015-04:00

Seth, Mia and Jonah

Had to include Jonah's picture of the birds mating

There is a baby in this kangaroo's pouch going for the carrot I think.

Mia playing in the water park

I love this picture.

Gar - They have teeth!

Turtles

Manatee

There is a sea horse on the left hand side.

This guy moves so slowly and so seldom that he doesn't look real.

So many pictures. I tried to edit, but there were still so many from just one trip to the zoo and the park surrounding it.

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T10:01:00.010-04:00

Bunny cupcake

Color coded eggs for each kid's basket

Roger and Rick at my house.

Aaron and Jaime

Aaron's Easter basket

Tabletop Table

Alan and Mark

Jill and Easter basket

Stephanie, Jill and Cory

Papa Jerry and Eliot

Mia bathing suit

Jonah slip and slide

Mia

Seth and Jonah

***

Easter at Jaime's house. 80 colored eggs hidden in the yard. A bubble lawn mover for Mia and a slip and slide for Jonah. Ham and potato salad. An Easter basket for Aaron with Rollo candies (his nickname) and water balloon grenades. Bunny cupcakes. A fun day.

Recently ... Jill's School Musical and more

2011-04-20T08:40:00.005-04:00

Jill was the 2nd Narrator in her 2nd grade class musical last night. She did a great job! The musical was about the race between the tortoise and the hare. It was adorable. It took place at the same high school auditorium where her Dad starred in several theatrical productions back in the day. Brought back a lot of memories and made me proud! Then we all went to Yogurt Mountain as a treat. Fun!

Jill and Mia and I were the first to arrive at the church Easter egg hunt last Saturday. I forgot to take more pictures in the heat of the hunt but many eggs were found with treats inside.

Jill and Mia had a sleepover at Grandma's. Jill is dressed for Christmas Eve for some reason. She just wanted to wear her reindeer pj's, I guess.

Jill on the way to school one morning with her school hat on. She got the hat for straight A's and a pin for Principal's Honor Roll.

Some things I didn't get a picture of: I attended my first Passover Sedar at Aaron's parents' house. It was beautiful. Jaime and Jonah and Mia attended, but Aaron was late because he had classes. I have lots of pictures of the girls, but it is hard to pin Jonah down long enough to snap a pic. He is doing his homework, riding his bike and shooting baskets with his friends.

Owl

2011-04-13T07:41:00.006-04:00

Stephanie and Cory have a condo in a beautiful setting on a lake. Here are a few pictures Stephanie posted on facebook including some of an owl they saw. I was reminded of it by Ruth's posting and poem about a boeautiful owl on her blog sync-ro-ni-zing. Click on the link to see.

Double Birthday Party and Housewarming

2011-04-10T08:08:00.007-04:00

Jaime and Mia

Why are there no pictures of Aaron, the birthday boy and new homeowner? The sign above says it all.

Jaime's friend, Sonny and her baby, Hunter and Jaime. Sonny grew up two blocks from my house and Jaime's new house.

Me and Irma

Erica

Seth and Jonah would not pose for pictures. I had to get them from the back guarding the compound.

Mia in the dining room. The wood floor has just been installed. A new light fixture that matches the sconces is soon to be added -- a beautiful housewarming gift from Jaime's boss and our family friend, Linda.

The party table isn't ready yet, but check out the new sconces.

The new kitchen cabinet paint is on the bottom. Jaime hasn't started on the top yet.

Living Room

There was lots of food, lots of people and a lovely fire in the outdoor fireplace. The photographer (me) got distracted and stopped taking pictures. The house and grounds were swept and painted and polished. Jaime has been painting the cabinets a new color. In the dining room, the walls have been textured and painted and a new floor installed. Mia was sick and lying down in the bedroom watching a Care Bear video. Irma brought two awesome quiches. I hope to get her recipes. I hope this is the first of an annual event.

Happy Birthday, Jaime!

2011-04-05T09:29:00.021-04:00

Jaime and Emboly

Here is the doomed Rebecca by the Christmas tree.

Jaime and Cory

Jaime at kindergarten graduation

Grandma and Jaime

Jaime and Grandma at her 3rd birthday

Jaime and Grandma - birthday # 2

She liked to play kitchen and dress up with my purse and shoes

This fancy crib was a gift from Grandma White

Me, Jaime and Cory *** Mother and daughter. A very complex relationship.

My daughter, Jaime, is 31 years old today. She is the same age as I was when she was born. It was a high risk pregnancy but she was born, premature but healthy, at 4 lbs. 3 oz. She was the tiniest baby in the nursery and I felt completely inadequate to care for her. I had already gone home and was coming back to the hospital each day to feed her but she would not open her eyes except to crack one eyelid once in a while. One day when I went to put her into the bassinet she screamed in such a way that I thought a pin was pricking her even though she was wearing a disposable diaper. I looked at the nurse in panic and said, "What is WRONG with her?" The nurse said, "She doesn't want you to put her down." That is the first time she seemed to know I was there.

She came home and proceeded to sleep only two hours at a time. Her brother, Cory, who was nine, feared for her safety. It was two whole years before I got a good night's sleep. By that time she could catapault herself out of her crib and lie down on the floor in front of my bedroom door crying. She finally started sleeping all night after I got a major kidney infection and could NOT get out of bed.

Sleeping wasn't the only problem. She could change from a sweet, happy child to throwing the worst tantrums I ever saw. I never judge parents when their children have a fit in public. Spanking her had no effect when she was in that state. Finally, I read a magazine article that suggested isolating her since making her sit in time out on her own was completely hopeless. We installed a chain latch on her bedroom door so that she could see out but not get the door open. She would scream and thrash around and bite her own hand for a while and then she would say sweetly, "I froo now." One day, I was slow getting the door opened and she screamed, "I said I froo!!!!!" The grandparents were horrified at the chain latch, but it saved our sanity. Lucky she was cute.

I will tell one more story about Jaime and her doll, Emboly. I tried to correct her and say Emily, but Emboly it was. Jaime had cut the doll's hair and she was pretty ugly but Jaime loved her anyway. I could never figure out what happened to another doll Jaime got for Christmas. Her name was Rebecca, and she had red hair and came with her own little stroller. Rebecca disappeared right after Christmas. I looked everywhere but I never found her. Only a few years ago, I found out why. Jaime buried the new doll by the shed because she thought Emboly's feelings would be hurt. I guess if I went back to our old house, that doll would still be there. Weird!!!

These are only a few pictures from Jaime's early life. She has grown up to be a beautiful and capable woman. She is a great mom and a loving daughter with a wicked sense of humor and dozens of different hair styles. She can make bargain clothes look like a million bucks and she always has to have the last word no matter what. That is a problem since her son, Jonah, has the same idea. Neither one will back down. She cannot get over the bad habit of constantly losing her purse and her cell phone. She is convinced she can build or fix anything, and she does, ever since she helped her dad assemble a fertilizer spreader when she was five. She is one of a kind. I can't think of any daughter I would rather have. I love her very, very much. So, Happy Birthday, Jaime!

Cory and his Green Machine - 1976

2011-04-03T09:52:00.007-04:00

If you can see Cory's mouth, he is making his Green Machine engine sound while shifting gears.

He could spin that thing on a dime.

Here is Cory and me and our old blue Pinto in front of Aunt Nellie's house. I think the sun was in our eyes. Check out that bleached hair and hippy shirt. Wish I still had that shirt. P.S. Cory's comment when he saw these pictures on facebook: "Happiness is a pleather jacket and a finely tuned green machine."

Slide Whistle Songs - $1.00

2011-03-24T10:02:00.017-04:00

It can be a lonely job selling stuff on the golf course.

Mia has some artwork. Jill has a sign that says "Slide Wistle Songs - $1.00. The picture below is Jaime at about the same age selling golf balls (1987).

Our dog, Tip, and Jaime's friend, Brooke, are also in this picture.

School Field Trip - Lettuce Lake Park

2011-03-14T08:08:00.004-04:00

A school field trip at Lettuce Lake Park on the Hillsborough River. Three classes full of fourth graders. What was I thinking? The trip had two main parts. First we walked on a path to the river, learning about the different types of wetlands and uplands and identifying plants (like poisin ivy) and trees. Then the children took turns scooping out mud from the river and identifying the critters they found - minnows, snails, water bugs, etc. Jonah LOVED this, of course. Then we went back to the starting point and walked the second half of the trip - a long loop of boardwalk that went out over the water. The kids were instructed on how to use binoculars. Lettuce Lake is not really a lake, but just a very wide part of the river where a tall tower is built for observing the wildlife. We saw several kinds of birds such as a white Ibis and a baby aligator who was about a foot long. Finally, we all had lunch and headed back to school. I was just glad to keep up the whole way.

A New Chapter

2011-03-09T08:16:00.003-05:00

A few pictures of Jaime and Aaron's new house. Already a path is being beaten between my house and theirs. The double garage is becoming a party room. The huge back yard being cleared. Dark wall paper being peeled away for a new coat of paint. Then the dark red carpet will be replaced with a wood floor. A wall added to create a room for Jonah. The kitchen is cute but small. The house is a little quirky. See the door from Mia's room to what will be Jonah's? A little closet has become a vanity area for Jaime. The master bathroom lacks a door??? But there is a large covered car port and a basketball hoop in the driveway. Jonah has found friends from school on his street and he is only 2 blocks from his friend, Seth and 4 blocks from his grandma's house. Friends and family are dropping by to check out the new digs. They came home last night to find the water had been cut off. Oops! They forgot to switch the water bill since they didn't have one in the apartment. The old apartment is clean and empty. The new house overflowing with boxes. The beginning of a new chapter in our lives. Next goal, a wedding in October.

Zoo - DinoQuest

2011-03-06T07:51:00.006-05:00

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Jonah, Seth and dinosaur

Jill and friend

Mia on merry-go-round
***

We went to the zoo yesterday to see the special dinosaur exhibit -- animated, life-size dinosaurs who moved, roared and sometimes spit water at the guests. On the way to the zoo, Jonah told a joke. He said he needed a new butt because his old one had a crack in it. That got a lot of laughs and a stern comment from his grandma. At first, Jill was terrified, but not Mia. Seth and Jonah rode the flume ride and Jill and Mia stood at the end of the ride and got spashed again and again. We had a special reason for visiting the zoo because Jaime and Aaron were busy moving into their NEW HOUSE!

***

Mia spent the night with me last night and as she was going to sleep, she said, "Remember my mommy putting my bed together in my new room?" Then she laughed and said, "Remember getting wet at the flume ride?" Then she turned on her side to go to sleep and said quietly, "And everybody loves me." What a happy day for our family.

School Visit

2011-03-04T14:09:00.004-05:00

Jonah's self portrait is one of the featured pictures hanging in the hallway by the school office.

Mia drew a self portrait as well. It is called 'Rainy Day'

Jill and friends at lunch

Random Moments

2011-02-22T20:08:00.007-05:00

Stephanie and Cory received a gift certificate for Bern's Steak House from her brother, Josh, and his girlfriend so they went out to celebrate their 5 month anniversary.

Jonah was Kid of the Month in his class at school and his art work was chosen to hang in the front office. I need to get a picture of that, too. You can tell he doesn't really like to pose for pictures.

Jaime stopped by one morning on her way to work. It had just gotten really warm and her boss just got the hot tub fixed so Jaime declared it a Hot Tub work day. I don't think it actually worked out, but she gave it a good try.
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Life goes by so fast. Sometimes I get a quick photograph. Many times I don't remember to grab the camera in time. Here are a few moments from the past couple of weeks.

A Sweet Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T14:55:00.003-05:00

Valentines - from Jill to me and Roger, from Roger to me, from Cory to me and from me to Roger.

Jaime with a new dress. She and Aaron were going out for Valentine's Day

Jaime in her "Almost Famous" coat and Aaron.
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A nice Valentine's Day. I watched Jonah and Mia so Jaime and Aaron could have a night out. There was a Valentine's party at the park for the kids. Roger and I had dinner at home - steak and lobster from Omaha Steak. Karin and Alan joined us. Roger's sister was not able to make it. I made a chocolate bundt cake with a mocha glaze.

BFF's and Mia

2011-02-11T09:13:00.005-05:00

Jill and her best friend do everything together. They are in the same class and ride the same bus and play at the same park, etc. I was baby sitting Mia and I thought she would be glad to see the girls. I was wrong. She kept getting mad and folding her arms and complaining to me. All she would say was, "Jill keeps taking my stuff!" You see, many of Mia's toys are inherited from her cousin who is 3 years older. Since Mia is 4, she can't remember a time when all these things were not hers. But, in truth, many of Mia's things originally belonged to Jill. What can I say? They are both right. Anyway, I said to Jill, "Be nice to Mia. She has been wanting to play with you all day." Jill looked at Mia and said, "Actually, that shirt you are wearing used to be mine."